


Frost-Bitten

by Sebastianthegiraffe13



Series: Shadows and Flickering Flame [3]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: As in they're the embodiment of the seasons, Fluff, Hux is Autumn, Hux thinks it's adorable, Kylo bites his lip when he gets nervous, Kylo is Winter, M/M, Phasma Ships It, Seasonal AU, and slight angst, because it's kylux and they're a mess, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-25
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-08-17 07:06:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8134790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sebastianthegiraffe13/pseuds/Sebastianthegiraffe13
Summary: Hux may be a Lord of Autumn, but he has a serious crush on one of the Knights of Winter. Hair as dark as a winter’s night and eyes as deep and cold as the chill of winter itself. Kylo Ren of Winter and his pretty frost-bitten lips are going to be the death of Hux. Not that he’d never admit that to anyone.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't the faintest idea where this came from, but it's cute.  
> Basically, Hux and Phasma belong to Autumn and Kylo belongs to Winter. 
> 
> Mostly fluff and a tiny bit of angst on Kylo's part, because it's kylux. How can there not be angst?
> 
> Enjoy!

The first time Hux notices him, he almost doesn’t.

It’s the changing of Spring into Summer, and for some reason unknown to Hux they all have to be there, even those whose seasons aren’t involved. So all of the Lords of Autumn and all of the Knights of Winter are present today, basically just to stand around and look decorative while two Guardians who aren’t their fellows perform the ceremony.

Which is how Hux spots him in the first place.

He’s tall, even for a Knight of Winter and fairly broad-shouldered in a slender sort of way, but otherwise not particularly notable in terms of build. It’s his hair that first catches Hux’s eye; dark and slightly curly, where most of the Winter Knights have straight hair that’s either icy-white or very pale blond. Strangely though, it actually complements his frosty blue and greyish white uniform.

He doesn’t seem to have the same ice-blue or frosty grey stare of his fellows either. From where Hux stands, the Knight’s eyes look quite dark. But it’s his lips that have Hux floundering. All the Knights have a strange white frost pattern painted on their lips as part of their ceremonial makeup, and on this particular individual the look is quite striking.

Needless to say, Hux is quite thoroughly distracted for the remainder of the ceremony. Not that it really matters.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, as the Seasons depart to their respective citadels, Hux finds himself walking next to Phasma. Tall and blond and currently looking very majestic in her deep red and bright gold, Phasma is an unusual choice for a Lord of Autumn. Not because of her gender, but because of her inherently sunny disposition. Cheerful though she may be, Hux knows from experience that she has an icy temper when crossed.

Now though, sunny smile in position, she nudges Hux and grins,  
“You seemed distracted today. Shouldn’t you have been focussing on the ceremony?”

Hux gives her a look that says ‘really?’ without him having to open his mouth,  
“It’s not our season, therefore I don’t care. I still don’t know why they make us sit through all of them when we’re only needed for two.”

Phasma laughs softly,  
“True enough.” She glances sideways at him, “What were you staring at?”

“The dark-haired Knight. Who is he?”

“I don’t know for sure,” Phasma says slowly, “But I heard Rey of Spring and Poe of Summer talking earlier. Apparently he’s a bit of an outcast.”

Hux snorts, thinking of the Knight’s dark hair among all that white,  
“Can’t imagine why. He seems a bit standoffish and cold.”

“Well, he is a Knight of Winter.” Phasma says with a grin.

Hux just groans and rolls his eyes.

 

* * *

The first time Hux actually talks to him, he’s pleasantly surprised.

He’s running a breeze over the border, trailing a swirl of fresh green leaves behind him. Even though it’s Summer, the Lords of Autumn still have a job to do: making the wind blow. But you can’t run a breeze all day and somewhere past the border with Winter, Hux hands the breeze on to one of the other Lords, a young man called Thanisson who is even blonder than Phasma, as if that could actually be possible.

Freed of any responsibility for the moment, Hux decides to walk back to Autumn, given that it’s such a nice day. The sky is a nice summery blue with no clouds marring its perfection and the sun beaming down on the ground is making all of Winter’s frosted ground sparkle prettily.

Winter is probably Hux’s favourite season, after Autumn of course. There’s just something about the leafless trees, the biting wind, the intricate patterns of frost; something about it speaks to his soul. So much so in fact, that Hux feels a sudden inexplicable urge to just find somewhere quiet and sit for a while.

Which is how he notices the dark-haired Knight again.

The Knight of Winter is skating on a nearby pond, silvery blades carving delicate swirls and streaks into the icy surface. The magic of Winter’s Knights maintains the ice and snow even in the heat of summer and it’s clear that this particular Knight is taking advantage of that fact to practise his skating.

The pattern of his movements across the ice, the subtle swish of his blades, it’s quite mesmerising. Hux pulls an apple from his cloak pocket and leans against a tree to watch.

Eventually, the Knight works out that Hux is watching him and skids to a stop, sending a shower of ice shards from his skates.

“See something you like?” He says challengingly, his dark eyes sparkling.

Hux unfolds himself from the base of the tree and stands,  
“Plenty. The sky, the trees.” He grins, “Oh and your skating of course.”

The Knight folds his arms across his broad chest,  
“What’s a Lord of Autumn doing this far north?”

Hux copies his position, noting with some dissatisfaction that the Knight has a few inches on him in height,  
“Your point? It’s not against any law that I’m aware of.”

“Perhaps,” The Knight says with a shrug, “Doesn’t mean that it’s common.” He uncrosses his arms and holds out a hand, “I’m Kylo, by the way.”

Hux returns the gesture and they shake,  
“Hux.”

Kylo grins lopsidedly and sits down with a decided lack of grace. He seems to be all limbs, long and lean and clad in icy blue and frosted white. When he shakes his head, a flurry of tiny snowflakes tumbles from his dark curls.

“You have snow in your hair,” Hux says, settling next to him.

Kylo raises an eyebrow,  
“And you have leaves in yours.”

Hux brushes out his fringe, which only serves to dislodge the leaves into his lap. Kylo catches a vivid gold one as it flutters loose and examines it.

“What’s so interesting about it?” Hux says, puzzled, “It’s just a leaf.”

Kylo shrugs,  
“It’s pretty. Besides, you don’t get leaves in Winter.” He twirls the leaf between finger and thumb, “I’m keeping it.”

Hux frowns,  
“You know it won’t last, right? It’s an Autumn leaf, they crumble and die.”

“Not if I do this.” Kylo says with a laugh. He flicks the leaf with one finger and a fine layer of frost spreads out to cover it.

Hux finds himself distracted by Kylo’s face as the Knight admires his handiwork. Kylo’s lashes are long and dark and tipped with silver-white. There are swirls of silver-white patterning his cheekbones, barely visible against his porcelain skin, and his lips are once again painted with the white frost pattern.

“I thought the swirls were part of your ceremonial makeup. Do you it every day?”

Kylo seems surprised by the question, but he answers readily enough,  
“Yes, but mostly by accident. And it isn’t makeup, it’s frost.” He traces one finger delicately across the trunk of the nearest tree. Frost flowers bloom where he touches, the same shade of silver-white as the markings on his face.

Hux watches this process with fascination,  
“That’s quite impressive. My skills basically amount to blowing things about the place.”

“But at least wind has a purpose in all seasons.” Kylo points out, waving the frosted leaf for emphasis, “Frost just makes things cold and pretty.”

“It is very pretty,” Hux agrees.

He shivers slightly and Kylo grins,  
“And cold.”

 

* * *

The first time Hux actually meets him on purpose, he begins to notice something.

They’ve met up again, in Autumn this time. Even though the temperature is slightly warmer, Kylo still sheds snowflakes every time he shakes his head. Hux thinks it’s funny. Until Kylo dumps a heap of it onto his head.

“Snow is very pretty and sparkly and everything,” Hux grumbles, “But it isn’t half cold.”

Kylo laughs,  
“That’s because it’s frozen, genius. Otherwise it would melt and all you’d get is water.”

He runs a hand through his hair and flicks the resulting handful of snow at Hux. The redhead huffs in annoyance and retaliates by making the tree they’re under drop a heap of leaves on the Knight’s head.

“Great,” Kylo sighs, “It’ll take me forever to get all these out.”

Hux smirks,  
“Serves you right for throwing snow at me.”

Even as he’s picking leaves out of his curls, Kylo’s grinning from ear to ear.

“Here,” Hux says, relenting, “Let me help.”

He leans over and pulls a stray leaf from the Knight’s dark hair. Kylo bites his lip, almost pulling on it with his teeth. As he does, a fine layer of frost forms on his lips. His gorgeous, very full lips, now covered in pretty frosted patterns and Hux gets distracted again.

“Hux,” Kylo prompts, as Hux pauses with one hand on the Knight’s shoulder and one hand grasping at a leaf tangled in his curls. “Hux, you still there?”

Hux starts,  
“What?”

“You got lost in thought, I think,” Kylo says gently, nudging Hux’s cheek with his nose.

Hux extracts the leaf with a little more force than probably necessary,  
“You think.”

Kylo winces,  
“What’s got you all frost-bitten all of a sudden?”

“Frost-bitten?” Hux asks.

“Uh-huh,” Kylo says, “Our way of saying someone’s grumpy. We say they’re frost-bitten.”

Hux snorts,  
“Well, that’s just silly.” He gestures at Kylo’s face, “You’re the one who’s frost-bitten.”

“Huh?”

“Your lips. They’re covered in frost again.” Hux explains.

Kylo runs his finger over them, coming away with a sheen of ice,  
“I don’t remember doing that.”

For some peculiar reason, Hux finds his puzzled face amusing,  
“You didn’t do it, not on purpose anyway. I think it happens when you bite your lip.”

“Ah,” Kylo says, like that answers everything. When Hux gives him a raised eyebrow, he adds, “I bite my lip a lot, mostly when I’m thinking.”

Hux tilts his head to one side,  
“Penny for your thoughts?”

Kylo ducks his head and looks a bit sheepish,  
“Just thinking about how pretty your hair looks with the sun caught in it.”

This makes Hux run his hand through it, suddenly self-conscious,  
“That’s just a roundabout way of saying it goes redder than usual.”

“No,” Kylo says with a shake of his head, “It’s like gold, or like a sunset. I can’t decide which.”

Hux puts his hand on Kylo’s head,  
“Can you stop shaking your head? Every time you do, you shed snow everywhere.”

“Sorry,” Kylo says, biting at his lip again, “I can’t help it. The snow, I mean.”

Hux pulls at his own hair,  
“As I can’t help the leaves in mine. It’s part of who we are, leaves, snow, everything. Same way the Counts of Summer have green leaves in their hair and the Dukes of Spring have flowers in theirs.”

Kylo sighs,  
“I suppose so.” He rubs at his arm self-consciously, “I’ve never really thought about it before.”

“But don’t the other Knights have snow in their hair too?” Hux asks.

Kylo fidgets,  
“Yes, but it’s not as easy to see, because their hair is…”

He trails off and Hux finishes the sentence,  
“Because their hair is blond and yours is dark.”

“Exactly,” Kylo says sadly, “I’m not like the others at all.”

Hux folds his arms,  
“How so exactly?”

Kylo sits back against the tree,  
“I’m much taller than any of the others. My hair is dark and curly, and I have dark eyes.”

“You have pale skin like the others,” Hux points out.

“Yes,” Kylo agrees, “I also have freckles.” He points at the dark birthmarks speckling his face.

Hux shrugs,  
“Looks aren’t everything. What’s inside often counts for a whole lot more.”

Kylo manages a small smile,  
“Now you’re just trying to make me feel better.”

“It’s working, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is.” Kylo grins properly this time, a genuine smile that lights up his eyes. Hux feels something strange settle in his stomach.

They sit for a while longer, before Kylo clambers to his feet,  
“I should be heading back. It’s getting late.”

Hux sighs,  
“I should probably be heading home too.”

Kylo offers him a hand,  
“Thank you for this afternoon. It was…nice.”

“You’re welcome.” Hux says as he’s hauled to his feet. The funny feeling in his stomach flares suddenly; Kylo is quite strong.

Kylo smiles shyly,  
“Can we, umm, do this again sometime perhaps?”

Hux returns the smile,  
“I can do next Thursday.”

“Done,” Kylo says.

As the Knight walks off into the trees, he turns and gives Hux a little wave and a smile over his shoulder. Hux returns the gesture, feeling the strange fluttery sensation in his stomach intensify.

 

* * *

The first time Hux recognises his feelings for what they are, he’s talking to Phasma.

“Well clearly you have feelings for him, Hux. That’s the third time in as many weeks you’ve been to see him.”

Hux sighs heavily and brushes a hand through his fringe, dislodging a few leaves,  
“I don’t know, Phasma.”

Phasma grins at the redhead’s obvious discomfort,  
“Sure you do. I mean, what do you see in him?”

“Well,” Hux begins, “He’s sweet and funny and he has this adorable habit of biting his lip when he’s thinking.”

“You sure it isn’t because he’s got pretty frost-bitten lips? Or because he’s got those deep dark eyes and that pretty curly hair?”

“Phasma,” Hux groans in exasperation.

Phasma smirks, shaking her white-blond hair out of her face,  
“Well, what is it?”

Hux sighs,  
“None of those things, Phasma. I like him for reasons far less shallow than that.”

“Hah!” Phasma says triumphantly, “Then you do have feelings for him. I knew it.”

Hux rolls his eyes,  
“Perhaps.”

But he smiles to himself when Phasma leaves to go on patrol. He does have feelings for Kylo; the Knight is smart and kind and stunningly attractive, in a frosty sort of way.

Thinking of Kylo makes his stomach feel all fluttery again, like he’s swallowed a load of butterflies. Hux sighs,  
“It’s all very well admitting that I have feelings for him, Phasma. But I have no idea if he feels the same way. And I’m not just going to come out and ask him, that’s just awkward.”

“Ask who what?” Kylo says, appearing suddenly from behind a tree.

Hux jumps,  
“How long have you been standing there?”

“I haven’t,” Kylo says, “Been standing, I mean. I was just coming to meet you.”

“Oh,” Hux says, “That’s a relief. I thought you’d heard me talking to myself.”

Kylo shakes his head, dislodging snow as usual,  
“Nope, just the part about you asking someone something.”

Hux gets to his feet,  
“Doesn’t matter. Where are we headed today?”

Kylo smiles cheekily,  
“It’s a surprise.”

“Do you want me to close my eyes?” Hux says with a grin.

“Nah,” Kylo says, “It’s not like you know where anything is in Winter anyway.”

Hux raises an eyebrow,  
“So it’s in Winter?”

Kylo smirks,  
“Perhaps…”

Sure enough, within a few minutes of wandering through Winter’s spiky frosted trees, Hux has no idea where they are. Kylo chatters animatedly, as he often does when he gets onto a topic that interests him.

“I can’t believe I ever thought of you as cold and standoffish,” Hux says in a brief silence as Kylo pauses for breath.

Kylo laughs,  
“But I am cold, silly. I’m a Knight of Winter.”

Hux shoves him playfully,  
“You know what I mean. You’re the biggest chatterbox I’ve ever met.”

This makes Kylo bite his lip, causing the frost to spread out where his teeth make contact,  
“I can try and be quiet if it annoys you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Hux says, “I think it’s sweet.”

Kylo still looks a bit unsure, but he brightens visibly,  
“If you say so, Hux.”

The Lord of Autumn slips his hand into the Knight of Winter’s larger one and squeezes,  
“I do say so. Now, where are we going?”

Kylo just winks and doesn’t reply.

Suddenly, they emerge from the trees into a sunlit glade, an iced-over pond in the centre.

“Do you recognise it?” Kylo asks quietly.

Hux looks around for a while, then shrugs,  
“It feels vaguely familiar, but I don’t know why.”

Kylo reaches behind a tree and pulls out two pairs of skates. One pair is rather battered, the blades scarred in a few places, but the other smaller pair are obviously brand new. He passes the second pair to Hux and grins sheepishly.

“It’s where we met properly for the first time. When I was skating and you were sitting watching me.”

Hux returns Kylo’s bright smile,  
“I can’t believe you remembered.” He glances down at the skates in his hands and sighs, “Much as I appreciate the sentiment, Kylo, there’s a problem. I can’t skate.”

“I know that,” Kylo says cheerfully, “Which is why I’m going to teach you.”

Hux falls a few times, but every time Kylo is patient and helps him up again. Eventually he makes it round the pond once without falling and then Kylo lets go.

“You’re kidding,” Hux says, as Kylo moves a few paces away.

“No good me teaching you to skate if you have to keep holding my hand,” Kylo’s smile is brilliant, he’s clearly trying not to laugh.

Hux sighs,  
“If I fall and break my face, I shall hold you personally responsible.”

Kylo snorts,  
“Noted. Off you go.”

It takes a good three minutes for Hux to make it round, but he doesn’t fall once.

“Happy now?”

Kylo smiles angelically,  
“Very.”

 

* * *

The first time Hux actually comes clean about his feelings for the Knight, he realises that Kylo feels the same way.

The day after their skating outing, Hux wakes up almost unable to walk. His knees are so bruised that it hurts to bend them and Phasma spends the whole morning making snide comments and raising her eyebrows at him. Hux studiously ignores her.

Somehow he manages to escape to meet Kylo.

The Knight is waiting under their usual tree, just the Autumn side of the border. He winces as Hux hobbles over and sits down.

“I forgot that might happen. Sorry.”

Hux stretches his legs out, grimacing,  
“This doesn’t happen to you?”

Kylo shrugs,  
“I haven’t fallen while skating for years, and even when I did, my natural body temperature is so low that my hands act like inbuilt ice-packs.”

“That must be nice,” Hux grumbles, “This hurts.”

Kylo pulls off one of his gloves,  
“I can try and ease the swelling if you like.”

“Please.”

The Knight’s hand is freezing cold, almost to the point of burning. But it is like having an ice-pack on his knee; better even, since Kylo can practically cup Hux’s knee in his hand.

Kylo is concentrating quite hard, biting at his lip as he so often does. Hux finds the pretty white patterns on the Knight’s lips mesmerising and feels the peculiar fluttery feeling settling into the pit of his stomach again.

“Hux,” Kylo’s voice breaks into his thoughts and the Lord of Autumn starts.

“Sorry, what?”

Kylo has removed his hand from Hux’s knee and is pulling his glove back on,  
“That’s all I can do for the moment. I can’t leave it on for too long or it’ll turn into frostbite.”

Hux blinks,  
“Does that happen to you as well?”

In response, Kylo removes his other glove. The ring finger on his left hand is black and twisted looking.

“I bruised it rather badly when I was a kid. Nobody told me that I had to do twenty minutes with ice and twenty minutes without, so I just kept it on. That’s what frostbite does.”

Hux takes Kylo’s hand gently and examines the damaged finger,  
“Can you still use it?”

Kylo flexes the hand, wincing  
“Not really. I can just about move it, but it’s very painful and it makes me feel a bit sick so I try to keep it still.”

“I thought extreme frostbite made you lose fingers,” Hux says thoughtfully.

“Sometimes I think it might almost be easier if I had lost it,” Kylo grumbles, “It’s not like it’s useful to me anymore.” He drops his glove into Hux’s lap, “I have to have a sort of splint in that finger.”

Hux looks at the glove finger in question,  
“I see. And that keeps it still?”

“It keeps it straight,” Kylo says with a shrug. He shivers as Hux rubs his thumb across the back of his hand.

“Are you cold?” Hux asks, puzzled.

Kylo shakes his head,  
“No, your hands are warmer than I’m used to, that’s all.” He shivers again and smiles shyly, “It’s also partly just being around you, I think.”

Hux frowns,  
“Being around me?”

Kylo fidgets as he pulls his glove back on,  
“Yes.” Seeing Hux’s frown deepening, he then adds quickly, “Not in a bad way.”

“What way then?”

“It’s sort of…” Kylo trails off, then recovers himself and tries again, “Being around you makes me feel all sort of warm and tingly inside. It’s not a feeling I’m entirely used to.”

Seeing the Knight all worked up makes Hux smile,  
“Relax, I’m not upset with you. I had no idea you felt that way.”

Kylo rubs the back of his neck and grins sheepishly,  
“Yeah well, us Knights of Winter aren’t exactly known for being easy to read. Especially when it comes to feelings.”

“If it’s any consolation,” Hux says carefully, “You make me feel something similar, like I’ve got butterflies in my stomach.”

The relieved smile that spreads across Kylo’s face at this statement is quite possibly the most adorably gorgeous thing Hux has ever seen. He feels himself smiling in return and the warm feeling spreads upwards from his stomach to settle somewhere around his chest.

Kylo’s smile fades slightly though, when he glances up at the darkening sky,  
“I should go. It’s getting late.”

As they stand and say their goodbyes, Hux is overcome with a sudden urge to kiss Kylo. He squashes it furiously; they’ve only just admitted that they have feelings for each other, best to let that settle for a while.

Kylo doesn’t seem to share that thought.

The Knight leans down the few inches he needs to, in order to kiss Hux lightly on the cheek.  
“See you in a few days,” He says with another of those pretty smiles.

Hux can still feel the kiss long after he has gone back to the Autumn citadel. The touch of Kylo’s lips lingers, cool and almost tingly, against his skin, right on Hux’s sharp cheekbone. It feels like the chill of it has sunk into the bone itself.

“Honestly Kylo,” Hux sighs to himself, “You and your pretty frost-bitten lips are going to be the death of me.”

 

* * *

The first time Hux kisses Kylo, several months have passed.

It’s the passing of Summer into Autumn and Hux has been antsy all day. Something in the air isn’t sitting right, hasn’t been for quite a few days. Kylo has become a bit withdrawn lately. He doesn’t smile or laugh as much and he can’t seem to quite meet Hux’s eyes.

They’ve arranged to meet after the ceremony, which is really the only thing keeping Hux from being bored out of his mind. That and worry; Kylo isn’t among the Knights. It’s not like he’s hard to spot, with his dark hair, but Hux can’t see him at all.

The ceremony drags on, longer than it usually does, or maybe that’s just because Hux is desperate to get away. And then he gets roped into talking to some of the Counts of Summer by Phasma, which takes ages as well. So by the time he finally gets away, he’s a good twenty minutes late.

Kylo isn’t under their tree. He isn’t anywhere. Hux is on the verge of panic when he notices a fine trail of half-melted snow heading back towards Winter. Kylo must have tired of waiting for him and gone home, Hux reasons.

When Hux reaches Winter, Kylo’s footprints become visible, stamped cleanly into the white powder. The trail winds through the trees, twisting and turning, until Hux has completely lost all sense of direction.

The woods open out into a smallish clearing near the foot of the mountains. Across the clearing, the footprints lead to a neat little house. The door has Ren carved into it in neat letters.

Hux knocks.

Nothing happens.

He’s just lifting his hand to knock again when the door opens and he’s confronted with Kylo’s puzzled face.

“Hux? What on earth are you doing here? I though you weren’t coming.”

Hux shrugs apologetically,  
“I got held up. Sorry.” Then he folds his arms, “But you’ve been avoiding me too, don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

“No I haven’t,” Kylo protests, but he doesn’t look at Hux directly when he says it.

Hux takes Kylo’s bony chin in his hand and makes the Knight look at him,  
“You have. You’re quiet, you laugh less, smile less. What’s wrong?”

“You.” Kylo says abruptly, “You’re what’s wrong.”

When Hux raises an eyebrow, he sighs, “You’d better come inside.”

The inside of Kylo’s house is on the messy side, but it’s the kind of messiness that comes with a house feeling lived-in. There are piles of books on every surface and pencils and paper scattered all across the living room. Kylo motions Hux to the sofa, then disappears into the kitchen.

When he re-emerges with two cups, he hands one to Hux and sits opposite the Lord of Autumn, tucking his long legs neatly up onto the cushion.

“So,” Hux says slowly, “Why am I what’s wrong?”

Kylo watches him carefully over the rim of his cup; blue with white snowflakes on it,  
“You honestly have no idea, do you?”

Hux looks into his cup and then back up at the Knight,  
“No…”

“You haven’t the faintest idea what you’re doing to me,” Kylo says softly, almost inaudible.

“What I’m doing to you?” Hux echoes, “What about what you’re doing to me?”

Kylo scowls,  
“What do you mean what I’m doing to you? I’m not doing anything to you.”

Hux puts his cup down and leans forward,  
“But you are, Kylo. You’re becoming withdrawn and quiet. You don’t laugh or smile as much anymore and it worries me.”

“Why would that worry you? It’s not like you care.” Kylo snaps, the crackle of frost spreading across the surface of his mug where he’s gripping it with both hands.

Hux is taken aback by this declaration,  
“I don’t care? What about you? You run away from our arranged meeting after twenty minutes, when I’ve been half an hour late before.”

“So what?” Kylo huffs, “You can be late but I’m not allowed to assume you’re not coming?”

“Why in the name of the gods would you assume I wasn’t coming?” Hux asks.

Kylo looks away. From the way he’s biting his lip, Hux can tell he’s quite upset.

Then it clicks.  
“Someone said something, didn’t they?” Hux guesses, “Someone said something and now you’re all upset.”

“So what if they did? I know this could never work, we could never work.”

Hux folds his arms,  
“And why not?”

Kylo gestures to him,  
“Have you seen you? And then me?”

“Explain yourself, Kylo Ren.”

“You’re the perfect Lord of Autumn, even aside from your hair and complexion. You’re graceful, poised, elegant. What am I to that? An awkward clumsy mess, that’s what.”

There’s ice forming on his cheeks now, in imitation of tear tracks. Knights of Winter can’t actually cry, Hux knows that.

Hux sighs,  
“I don’t know who said what to you, or what you overheard, but it’s completely ridiculous. All of it. Why would you say that about yourself?”

Kylo shrugs,  
“It’s the truth. I’ve never been accepted by the other Knights. Why should you be any different?”

Hux frowns thoughtfully, then he sits forward onto his knees. From there it’s a simple matter to lean down and kiss Kylo’s cheek. As he sits back, Kylo’s hand goes straight to his cheek.

“Does that solve things?” Hux asks with a grin.

Kylo smiles shyly,  
“Yes,” He whispers.

Hux takes Kylo’s hand and rubs his thumb across the back of it. The Knight’s skin feels cool under his touch and he finds his gaze drawn to the constellation of dark freckles smattering Kylo’s otherwise pale porcelain complexion.

“I don’t care what you think of yourself, Kylo.” Hux says quietly, “I honestly don’t. I…I have been falling for you since the day I first saw you…and...”

“I feel the same about you,” Kylo offers as Hux trails off.

Hux raises an eyebrow at him,  
“Good, because otherwise all these dramatics were for nothing.”

This makes Kylo laugh, which makes Hux feel warmth spreading through his bones again. Gods, he’s missed Kylo’s laugh. It makes his dark eyes sparkle and honestly makes Hux want to kiss him more than ever.

Which he does.

 

* * *

The first time Hux and Kylo display their affection for each other in public, it is the Ceremony for the changing of Autumn into Winter.

Kylo is nervous and distracted the whole walk there, biting his lip in that way that Hux finds so adorable.

“Stop it,” Hux says, swatting at him, “You’ll ruin that pretty frost pattern.”

Kylo hunches over slightly,  
“I can’t help it. It’s a nervous habit.”

Hux kisses his cheek,  
“I know, snowflake, I know.” It’s probably Hux’s favourite of his pet names for Kylo and easily the one he uses the most.

Kylo turns into the kiss slightly, just enough that the corners of their mouths touch,  
“Another few hours and this will all be over.”

“Mmm…” Hux says in agreement.

Phasma is the Guardian performing the ceremony for Autumn this round, along with a Knight by the name of Tamir. The ceremony goes smoothly, everything proceeds according to plan until the very end.

“I have a very special announcement to make,” Phasma says grandly at the conclusion of the ceremony.

"What is she doing?” Kylo hisses to Hux, who shrugs.

Phasma continues,  
“This ceremony marks the transition from Autumn into Winter, and the transfer of protection from  Autumn’s Lords to Winter’s Knights. Therefore I think it only right that we acknowledge a partnership between two such people.”

Next to Hux, Kylo goes paler and starts shrinking in on himself,  
“Oh no, she wouldn’t.” 

“She would,” Hux says, “She would and she will. Stand up and deal with it.”

Phasma is still talking, “To my dearest and oldest friend, Lord Armitage Hux of Autumn, I wish you all the best. May you have the most bountiful happiness and the strongest and brightest love.”

She smiles here, “To my newest and yet still cherished friend, Knight Kylo Ren of Winter, I leave you with only this. If you break his heart, I will break your neck. That is a promise.”

She comes down off the podium and embraces them both fondly.

“Phasma, why?” Hux says in exasperation.

Phasma tosses her blonde hair defiantly,  
“Because it’s high time that everyone learned what the three of us learned long ago.”

She raises her voice, so her words carry across the crowd, “Just because you belong to different seasons doesn’t mean you can’t be friends, it doesn’t mean you can’t love one another. All it gives you is a title and a different sort of dandruff in your hair, be that leaves or flowers or snow.”

As she steps back, Kylo glances at Hux from under his snow-tipped lashes. Then the Knight surges forward and kisses Hux hard.

The sudden feel of Kylo’s cold frost-bitten lips on his own makes Hux start, but only for a second.

And despite the chill of the Knight of Winter’s lips on his, the Lord of Autumn melts.

**Author's Note:**

> Aren't these two just adorable? And terrible with communication and feelings, but that just makes it more adorable when they finally sort it out.  
> Phasma is their biggest shipper in this AU.  
> Also, I took a bit of artistic licence with the frostbite thing. Don't eat me!
> 
> As always, let me know what you liked, what you didn't like etc.
> 
> And I'm on tumblr: @sebastianthegiraffe come yell at me about things.


End file.
